OCSS  LIBRARY 


STRANGE  TALES 

FROM  HUMBLE  LIFE, 

JOHN   ASH  WORTH 

o 

0 


•PENNY  IT  SHILLIN' 


PUBLISHED  BY  PERMISSION  OF  THE  AUTHOR 


3^4 


PHILADELPHIA : 

HENRY    LONGSTRETH, 

Xo.  738  SANSOM  STREET. 


rr 


variety  of  forms  in  which  love  manifests  itself 
-•-  would  be  a  very  interesting  study.  No  doubt  we 
are  so  constituted  that  our  highest  felicity  consists  in 
our  love  travelling  back  to  the  Source  of  all  love,  then 
it  becomes  the  purest,  the  holiest,  and  the  most  lasting. 

"Yes,  love  indeed  is  light  from  heaven, 
,     'A  spark  of  that  immortal  fire 

With  angels  shared — to  mortals  given, 
To  lift  from  earth  our  low  desires. 
Devotion  wafts  the  mind  ahove, 
But  heaven  itself  descends  in  love." 

Wherever  this  love  exists  it  will  manifest  itself  in  some 
form  consistent  with  its  nature.  In  Noah  and  Abra- 
ham, it  was  active  obedience  to  God ;  Jacob,  in  tithing 
his  income  to  the  Lord;  David,  in  songs  of  praise; 
Solomon,  in  building  the  temple;  the  Apostles,  in 
preaching  the  Gospel;  and  these  in  all  ages  have  had 
their  numerous  successors. 

An  illustration  of  this  I  remember  in  one  of  my 
neighbors,  who  in  the  latter  part  of  her  life  was  much 
impressed  with  the  vow  Jacob  made  on  that  memorable 
occasion  when,  alone  and  weary,  he  lay  down  to  rest, 
with  a  stone  for  his  pillow.  Jacob  that  night  dreamed 
of  angels,  and  heard  the  voice  of  God,  promising  him 
(146) 


"PENNY  IT  SHILLIN'."  147 

protection  and  temporal  blessings;  and  Jacob  replied, 
"  Of  all  that  thou  shalt  give  me,  I  will  surely  give  a 
tenth  unto  thec." 

"And  so  will  I,  or  somewhere  near  it,"  earnestly- 
observed  this  neighbor,  evidently  impressed  with  the 
beauty  of  Jacob's  vow;  and  it  will  be  seen  that  she 
fulfilled  her  promise. 

Amongst  other  worthy  characters  that  attended  our 
Church  meetings  was  this  poor  but  remarkably  clean 
widow,  we  called  old  Mary.  She  always  sat  in  one 
place,  and  was  seldom  or  ever  absent;  she  was  civil, 
courteous,  and  modest;  often  took  her  part  in  the 
meeting,  and  her  prayers  and  speeches,  though  short, 
were  very  pointed.  One  evening,  in  her  prayer,  she 
said, — 

"Lord,  I  am  a  miracle  of  mercies;  I  am  neither 
deaf  nor  dumb,  blind  nor  crazy ;  I  have  good  use  of 
both  my  hands  and  my  feet ;  I  have  a  house  to  live  in, 
a  clean  bed  to  rest  on,  food  to  eat,  and  raiment  to  wear ; 
and  best  of  all  I  have  Jesus  Christ  as  my  constant 
companion,  to  cheer  me  and  comfort  me  every  day.  I 
have  heaven  on  the  way  to  heaven,  and  what  more  can 
I  want.  As  for  my  bits  of  troubles,  for  they  are  bits 
compared  with  other's,  I  spread  them  before  the  Lord. 
I  am  a  miracle  of  mercies !  a  miracle  of  mercies !  Oh, 
bless  the  Lord  for  his  goodness.  Amen." 

But  there  was  one  peculiarity  about  this  good  old 
creature  that  we  all  noticed,  and  that  did  us  all  good. 
She  seldom  appeared  at  any  service,  Sunday  or  week- 
day, without  bringing  an  "  offering  to  the  Lord,"  as 
she  called  it.  Her  income  from  all  sources,  was  about 


148  "PEXNY   IT  SHILLINV 

seven  shillings  per  week,  and  out  of  this  she  gave 
seven  pence.  Knowing  her  small  income,  and  her 
thrift  and  care  to  make  ends  meet,  I  ventured  to  say, — 

"Mary,  we  know  you  are  anxious  to  do  what  you 
can  to  help  in  all  good  things,  and  that  you  willingly 
bring  your  contributions,  but  suppose  we  take  the  will 
for  the  deed,  then  you  will  have  a  little  more  for  home 
requirements."  She  rather  sharply  answered,— 

"  Did  Jesus  Christ  say  that  to  the  poor  widow  that 
put  her  mite  into  the  treasury?  No,  He  did  not;  He 
spake  well  of  her,  and  said  she  had  given  more  than 
all  the  rich  folks  put  together,  though  they  had  given 
much.  I  know  what  I  am  doing,  and  Jesus  Christ 
knows.  It  has  been  my  custom  ever  since  I  read 
Jacob's  vow,  for  every  shillin'  God  gives  me  to  give 
Him  a  penny  back;  I  give  a  penny  it  shillin'.  This 
is  one  way  of  proving  that  I  love  Him,  for  if  I  cannot 
build  churches  I  can  help  to  keep  them  going;  and  if 
I  cannot  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel 
myself,  I  can  help  to  send  others.  I  have  neighbors 
poorer  than  I  am,  and  there  are  some  in  this  Church 
poorer,  and  sometimes  I  can  give  a  little  to  them.  No, 
no;  I  shall  give  my  mite,  my  penny  it  shillin',  as  long 
as  I  live." 

The  moment  I  suggested  that  Mary  should  not  give 
out  of  her  penury  I  found  I  had  done  wrong.  Was 
she  not  giving  on  a  right  principle — a  principle  laid 
down  by  the  Almighty  Himself  in  the  first  written 
code  given  to  mankind — a  law  to  be  a  constant  re- 
minder that  all  we  have  belongs  to  God,  and  that  we 
ought  to  acknowledge  this  by  returning  to  Him  a  dis- 


"PENNY  IT  SHILLIN'."  149 

tinct  and  regular  proportion.  What  a  glorious  arrange- 
ment this  is;  how  it  would  keep  us  in  daily  remem- 
brance of  God's  goodness.  So  long  as  the  nation  to 
whom  God  first  gave  this  order  continued  to  observe 
it,  so  long  they  were  the  most  prosperous  people  on  the 
face  of  the  earth;  but  when  they  refused  to  obey  the 
command  they  became  the  poorest,  and  the  most  miser- 
able ;  and  when  they  cried  to  Him  about  the  draught, 
the  mildew  and  blight  of  their  harvests,  He  told  them 
what  they  had  done.  He  said, — 

"  Will  a  man  rob  God  ?  yet  ye  have  robbed  me  in 
tithes  and  offerings.  Ye  are  cursed  with  a  curse :  for 
ye  have  robbed  me,  even  this  whole  nation.  Bring  ye 
all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse,  that  there  may  be 
meat  in  mine  house,  and  prove  me  now  herewith,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  if  I  will  not  open  you  the  windows 
of  heaven,  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing,  that  there  shall 
not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it.  And  I  will  rebuke 
the  devourer  for  your  sakes,  and  he  shall  not  destroy 
the  fruits  of  your  ground;  neither  shall  your  vine  cast 
her  fruit  before  the  time  in  the  field,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts.  And  all  nations  shall  call  you  blessed :  for  ye 
shall  be  a  delightsome  land,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 

Old  Mary  brought  her  tithe  to  the  storehouse ;  it  was 
not  quite  a  tenth,  but  it  was  her  willing  offering,  and 
no  doubt  she  got  the  blessing  in  her  own  soul. 

I  have  been,  and  still  am,  in  circumstances  that 
enable  me  to  judge  of  the  operations  and  blessed 
effects  of  proportionate  and  systematic  giving  to  the 
Lord,  and  give  the  following  additional  illustra- 
tions' 


150  "PENNY  IT  SHILLIN'." 

"  Have  you  removed  to  your  new  house  ?"  I  asked 
a  gentleman  at  one  of  our  railway  stations. 

"  Not  yet,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Will  twenty  thousand  clear  the  cost  ?" 

"  About  that.  I  have  this  day  been  thinking  if  that 
twenty  thousand  had  remained  in  business  it  would 
have  produced  a  thousand  per  annum,  and  the  tithe,  or 
tenth,  the  Lord's  portion,  would  have  been  one  hun- 
dred pounds." 

"  Do  you  tithe  all  your  profits  ?" 

"Yes.  When  I  began  business  I  began  on  that 
principle,  and  have  always  carried  it  out." 

"Then  your  new  house  will  undoubtedly  have  to 
pay  into  the  Lord's  treasury  the  one  hundred  pounds, 
and  you  will  be  better  content  to  admire  and  enjoy  it ; 
but  I  rather  think  that  all  who  live  in  large  houses  do 
not  think  of  this." 

"  Perhaps  not ;  but  it  is  their  misfortune.  What 
have  we  that  God  does  not  give  us  ?  The  gold  and 
silver  is  all  His ;  we  are  merely  stewards  ;  and  if  the 
Lord  trusts  us  with  a  thousand  pounds,  it  is  easy,  and 
chight  to  be  pleasant  to  return  him  one  hundred. 
They  that  honor  Him  He  will  honor ;  and  if  we  honor 
Him  with  our  substance,  He  promises  to  fill  our  barns 
with  plenty." 

"  Have  you  many  objects  or  recipients  for  your 
givings  ?" 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  with  a  smile,  "  it  comes  in  in  one 
channel,  and  flows  out  in  about  ten :  churches,  schools, 
missions,  hospitals,  orphan-houses,  widows,  temperance 
societies,  poor  neighbors,  &c." 


" PENNY  IT  SHILLIN'."  151 

"Well,  sir,  if  it  be  more  blessed  to  give  than  re- 
ceive, you  are  no  doubt  a  happy  man." 

A  short  time  after  talking  with  this  gentleman,  I 
witnessed  another  happy  effect  of  this  self-tithing. 
While  attending  a  meeting  of  Sunday-School  teachers, 
in  Exeter  Hall,  London,  I  met  with  Mr.  Charles  worth, 
head  master  of  Mr.  Spurgeon's  Orphanage,  Stockwell, 
who  requested  I  would  meet  Mr.  Spurgeon  at  the  Or- 
phanage at  four  o'clock  the  following  day.  Arriving 
at  the  Lodge  of  the  beautiful  and  interesting  establish- 
ment, I  saw  several  well-dressed  boys  standing  at  the 
gate.  One  of  them  very  civilly  asked, — 

"  Have  you  got  a  box,  please  ?" 

"  Let  the  gentleman  pass,  and  if  he  has  not  a  box, 
he  will  see  one  before  he  returns,"  said  another  boy, 
laughing. 

On  I  went,  and  found  several  other  visitors,  and 
about  one  hundred  well-dressed,  healthy-looking  boys 
at  full  play ;  Mr.  Spurgeon,  cheerful  and  happy,  walk- 
ing about  amongst  them,  talking  and  shaking  hands 
with  everybody.  Amongst  the  visitors  was  a  tall, 
ruddy-faced  man,  who  requested  a  private  interview 
with  Mr.  Spurgeon ;  the  request  was  granted,  and  in 
about  fifteen  minutes  both  emerged  from  the  private 
room,  bowed  to  each  other,  and  parted,  evidently  both 
well  pleased.  Mr.  Spurgeon  then  rejoined  me,  his  face 
radiant  with  joy,  holding  in  his  hand  three  one-hundred 
pound  notes,  and  exclaiming, — 

"See,  Mr.  Ashworth,  these  are  works  of  art,  and 
this  strong  mark  in  the  corner  tells  their  value.  When 
I  came  to  the  Orphanage,  about  three  o'clock,  I  found 


152  "  PENNY  IT  SHILLIN'." 

that  our  monthly  bills,  due  to-day,  could  not  be  paid ; 
we  had  not  the  money.  Three  of  my  deacons  were 
here,  and  I  told  them  of  our  poverty,  and  .aaid  unto 
them,  'Let  us  go  into  the  office,  and  pray  over  the 
matter.'  Before  we  knelt  down  I  observed,  '  That  if 
we  all  give  something  to  begin  with,  we  should  then 
be  more  consistent  in  asking  the  Lord  to  induce  others 
to  give.  Now,  what  do  you  say,  friends  ?  I,  myself, 
will  give  twenty-five  pounds/ to  begin  with.' 

" '  I  will  second  that,'  replied  one  of  the  deacons. 

" '  What  do  you  mean  ?  Do  you  second  that  I  give 
the  twenty-five  pounds,  or  that  you  give  twenty-five?' 

" '  That  I  give  twenty-five.' 

" '  Good ;  who  thirds  it  the  same  way  ?' 

" '  I  do/  says  a  third ;  and  also  a  fourth. 

"Having  ourselves  given  one  hundred  to  stan  oft 
with,  we  knelt  down,  and  the  Lord  verily  heard  our 
prayers;  for  here  comes  a  man  of  whom  I  know 
nothing,  and  who  will  not  give  his  name,  and  puts 
these  notes  into  my  hand,  saying,  as  he  does  so — 

" '  I  give  systematically ;  give,  at  least,  a  tenth  of 
all  the  Lord  gives  me ;  and  I  have  very  great  pleasure 
in  handing  you  these  three  hundred  pounds.' 

"  The  Lord  hears  prayer,  my  friend,  and  the  Lord 
knows  where  the  money  is." 

"  If  the  man  had  not  tithed  his  income,  the  proba- 
bility is  he  would  have  had  nothing  for  you,"  I  re- 
plied. 

"Just  so;  and  very  likely  naught  for  anybody 
else,"  rejoined  Mr.  Spurgeon. 

This  last  observation  from  one  who  knows  something 


"PENNY  IT  SHILLIN'."  153 

• 

of  mankind,  reveals  a  deplorable  fact;  for  there  are 
thousands  of  wealthy  men  who,  because  they  do  not 
give  a  tithe,  or  a  proportion,  give  the  little  they  do 
give  very  grudgingly ;  to  such  it  is  a  positive  torture 
to  give.  I  knew  two  of  these  characters.  When  any 
person  asked  one  of  these  for  help,  he  would  invaria- 
bly reply,— 

"  I  never  give  anything  to  old  beggars." 

If  the  applicant  said  Jie  was  not  in  the  habit  of  beg- 
ging, and  that  he  had  never  begged  before,  the  reply 
was, — 

"  I  never  take  on  new  ones." 

When  the  other  gentleman  was  waited  upon  for  any 
purpose  whatever,  he  always  answered, — 

"My  custom  is  never  to  give  until  I  have  made 
inquiry." 

If  he  were  furnished  with  reports  or  reference,  he 
would  refuse  them,  or  lay  them  aside,  saying, — 

"I  really  have  not  time  to  make  inquiry." 

A  third  gentleman,  whose  name  I  do  not  know, 
ordered  a  dinner  for  twelve  at  one  of  the  London 
clubs.  They  had  many  dainty  dishes,  finishing  with 
the  roe  of  the  herring  laid  on  dry  toast,  quite  a  genteel 
finish.  The  dessert  consisted  of  strawberries  at  six 
shillings,  and  grapes  at  fourteen  shillings  per  pound, 
choice  wines,  &c.  The  cost  was  thirty-six  pounds, — 
three  pounds  per  head.  The  following  day  a  member 
of  the  same  club  asked  this  same  gentleman  for  a  sub- 
scription to  provide  a  dinner  and  a  tea  for  the  poor 
children  of  a  ragged  school,  but  the  answer  he  got 
was, — 


154  "PENNY  IT  SHILLIN'." 

» 

"  I  really  cannot  afford  it." 

I  believe  no  man  honoring  the  Lord  with  the  first- 
fruits  of  his  increase  would  ever  have  been  foolish 
enough  to  order  a  dinner  like  that. 

Mr.  Spurgeon's  deliverance  reminded  me  of  one  of 
my  own  mercies.  The  funds  for  the  Chapel  for  the 
Destitute,  the  School  for  poor  children,  the  Missionary 
and  Bible  Women,  were  quite  exhausted,  and  for 
several  weeks  nothing  came.  .  The  Missionary  was  de- 
jected, and  we  laid  our  case  before  the  Lord,  asking 
Him,  if  we  had  not  been  faithful  to  our  trust,  to  show 
us,  and  show  us  why  His  face  seemed  turned  away 
from  us.  On  visiting  a  Yorkshire  town  the  same 
week,  a  gentleman  placed  a  letter  in  my  hand,  request- 
ing I  would  not  open  it  until  I  got  on  the  train.  The 
moment  the  train  started  I  broke4he  seal,  and  read, — 

"  DHAE  SIB, — May  I  ask  you  to  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  be 
faithful  to  death  in  giving  that  portion  of  my  income  that  I  have 
purposed  in  my  heart  before  God.  My  Heavenly  Father  has 
greatly  increased  my  power  of  doing  good  since  I  resolved  to  give 
systematically ;  may  I  never  fall  into  the  error  of  consuming  it 
on  myself." 

The  letter  contained  what  Mr.  Spurgeon  called  a 
work  of  art,  with  a  strong  mark  in  the  corner  that 
told  its  value.  The  following  morning,  in  handing  it 
over  to  my  fellow-laborer  who  had  joined  me  in  prayer, 
as  he  took  the  book  to  enter  it,  I  watched  his  counte- 
nance; it  was  first  white,  then  red,  then  his  eyes 
moistened,  and  his  pen  trembled.  Evidently  there 
was  great  joy  and  thankfulness. 

There  is  one  important  sentence   in   that   railway 


"PENNY  IT  SHILLIN'."  155 

letter,  "  My  Heavenly  Father  has  greatly  increased  my 
power  of  doing  good  since  I  resolved  to  give  syste- 
matically." Did  he-give  like  old  Mary,  a  "  penny  it 
shillin',"  or  the  exact  tenth;  or,  as  the  Lord  had 
prospered  him, — the  true  Bible  standard?  Probably 
the  latter ;  and  what  followed  ?  Why,  that  the  Lord 
according  to  His  promise  poured  down  blessings  upon 
him,  and  filled  his  barns  with  plenty.  He,  like  Mary 
and  the  gentleman  that  tithed  his  big  house,  just 
regarded  himself  as  a  mere  steward  of  the  Lord,  ren- 
dering unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's. 

Perhaps  few  men  who  did  so  much  made  so  few 
mistakes  as  John  Wesley ;  but  in  his  admirable  sermon 
on  "The  Use  of  Money,"  he  puts  a  man's  needs,  the 
requirements  of  his  wife,  children,  and  servants  the 
first,  "and  if  there  be  an  overplus  left,  then  do  good 
to  them  that  are  of  the  household  of  faith."  This  is 
not  giving  the  first-fruits,  but  is  putting  the  Lord's 
portion  last,  and  is  more  likely  to  leave  Him  entirely 
without  portion  than  in  regularly  giving  out  of  all  his 
income.  Again,  Wesley  says,  "  Do  not  stint  yourself 
like  a  Jew  more  than  a  Christian,  to  this  or  that  pro- 
portion ;  render  God  not  a  tenth,  not  a  third,  not  half, 
but  all  that  is  God's,  be  it  more  or  less."  Would  not 
this  be  crippling  the  power  to  trade,  and  killing  the 
goose  that  lays  the  eggs,  and  in  the  aggregate  leave  the 
Lord's  portion  less?  The  scriptural  advice  to  "lay  by 
him  in  store  as  God  hath  prospered  him,"  touches  the 
whole  income,  and  would  produce  a  constant  revenue, 
without  affecting  the  capital  necessary  "to  produce  it. 

We  know  the  Jews  had  by  command  three  definite 


156  "PENNY  IT 

tithes :  one  for  the  Levites ;  one  for  the  Temple  service ; 
and  every  three  years  one  for  the  poor;  making  in  all 
about  twenty-three  per  cent.  And  we  also  know  that 
so  long  as  they  brought  these  offerings  God  opened  the 
windows  of  heaven,  and  blessed  them  with  abundance. 
To  give  a  proportion  is  a  blessing  yet,  for  perhaps 
nothing  will  better  help  a  prosperous  man  to  "  carry 
corn/'  or  a  poor  man  to  feel  thankful  that  he  can  do  a 
little.  I  know  a  mechanic,  whose  wages  are  thirty 
shillings  per  weekj  who  weekly  puts  three  shillings  into 
an  old  tea-pot  in  the  cupboard,  and  his  wife  often 
says, — 

"  I  am  always  glad  to  hear  the  three  shillings  drop 
into  the  tea-pot ;  I  am  sure  the  Lord  knows  it  is  for 
Him,  and  we  can  trust  Him." 

And  this  is  the  way  to  look  at  this  question,  whether 
the  income  be  more  or  less, — the  Lord  knows.  And 
the  Lord  requires  an  acknowledgment  from  all,  that 
He  only  is  the  proprietor  of  all,  and  that  to  whom 
much  is  given  of  him  much  shall  be  required?  This 
is  the  way  the  Lord  reckons  ;  for  a  man  with  five  hun- 
dred a  year  who  can  well  live  on  two  hundred,  has  a 
greater  proportion  to  give  from,  and  ought  to  give  a 
greater  proportion  than  the  man  with  one  hundred 
who  almost  requires  it  all. 

Of  course,  persons  in  this  day,  as  in  former  days, 
may  tithe  themselves,  and  be  defective  in  other  Chris- 
tian duties.  Tithing,  though  good  in  itself,  is  not 
saving  grace.  Our  Saviour  rebuked  the  Pharisees  for 
attaching  less  importance  to  justice,  mercy,  and  faith, 
than  the  paying  of  their  tithes,  telling  them,  and  so  far 


"PENNY  IT  SHILLJN'."  157 

approving  of  tithes,  that  they  ought  to  pay  their  tithes, 
and  also  do  justice,  love  mercy,  and  have  faith,  or 
piety,  towards  God :  "  These  ought  ye  to  have  done, 
and  not  left  the  other  undone." 

Let  not  anything  be  given  grudgingly,  but  cheer- 
fully and  willingly.  For  does  not  God  say,  that  "  he 
which  soweth  bountifully  shall  also  reap  bountifully ;" 
and,  "  With  what  measure  you  mete,  it  shall  be  mea- 
sured to  you  again;"  and  "He  that  deviseth  liberal 
things,  by  liberal  things  shall  he  stand;"  and  that 
"  The  liberal  soul  shall  be  made  fat." 

"  A  gentleman,  hearing  of  Mary's  "  penny  it  shil- 
lin',"  was  so  pleased  with  it  that  he  sent  her  a  sovereign. 
She  looked  at  the  gold  for  a  moment,  and  then  said, — 
"  Well,  I  am  a  miracle  of  mercies  !  a  miracle  of  mer- 
cies !  But  will  you  please  to  let  me  have  it  in  silver. 
If  I  ask  anybody  to  change  me  a  sovereign,  they  will 
wonder  where  I  have  got  it  from ;  they  may  think  I 
have  been  stealing." 

Silver  was  obtained  in  exchange ;  she  turned  it  over 
and  over  in  her  hand,  and  said, — 

"One  shilling  and  eightpence  of  this  belongs  to  the 
Lord.  To  be  sure  it  is  all  His,  but  He  lets  me  have 
the  far  greatest  part,  and  I  will  give  Him  back  a 
penny  it  shillin'  very  gladly,  for  He  gave  Himself  for 
me." 

There  is  another  advantage  in  this  systematic  and 
proportionate  giving.  We  know  what  we  do  give, 
and  are  not  tormented  with  the  idea  that  we  give 
too  much.  I  remember  once  going  with  another 
visitor  of  the  Kochdale  Good  Samaritan  Society  to 


V58  ''PENNY  JT  SHILLJN'." 

collect  the  annual  subscriptions.  Amongst  otner  places, 
we  called  at  the  counting-house  of  old  Mr.  Brignt. 
His  son  John,  now  the  Right  Honorable  John  Bright, 
was  in  the  office.  Looking  over  our  book,  he  said  to 
his  father, — 

"  Father,  had  thou  not  better  double  thy  subscrip- 
tion this  year?  These  men  have  many  very  poor 
cases." 

"  Double  thine,  John,  and  never  mind  me,"  said  the 
old  gentleman,  smiling. 

They  both  doubled  their  usuai  subscription,  and  as 
John  Bright  handed  us  the  money,  he  observed, — 

"  I  rather  think  many  of  us  give  much  less  than  we 
think.  When  I  was  married  I  put  a  small  cash  book 
into  my  pocket,  in  which  1  entered  all  my  givings  for 
religious  and  charitable  purposes.  At  the  end  of 
twelve  months  I  took  out  the  book  to  see  how  much  I 
had  given,  making  a  guess  at  the  same  time  how  much 
I  was  certain  it  would  be.  When  I  had  reckoned  all, 
I  found  to  my  astonishment  I  had  not  given  one- 
half." 

The  mistake  made  by  Mr.  Bright  is  not  uncommon, 
and  the  consequence  is,  a  double  loss, — a  blessing  lost 
to  the  giver,  and  lost  help  where  it  was  required. 

Old  Mary,  like  all  percentage-givers,  would  not  be 
likely  to  make  this  mistake,  and  it  was  amusing  to  hear 
her  say,  as  she  often  did, — 

"  I  get  an  extra  blessing  with  every  penny  I  give, 
for  I  am  a  miracle  of  mercies.  I  am  very  sorry  I 
began  so  late,  and  I  would  advise  all  you  young  folks, 
and  everybody,  to  give  a  penny  it  shilling  and  more,  if 


PENNY  IT  SHILLIN'."  159 

can,  and  to  do  it  regularly.  That  is  the  way— 
regularly.  God  will  bless  you  for  it,  if  you  give  to 
His  cause.  Giving  to  the  poor,  you  lend  to  the  Lord. 
He  says  so,  and  God  will  never  be  in  debt  to  any- 
body." 

Old  Mary  was  right  j  God  is  good  to  us  all,  and 
constant  gratitude  for  this  goodness  is  one  of  tL;; 
greatest  luxuries  of  this  life.  When  the  heart  is 
given  to  God,  and  when  we  love  Him,  how  easily  all 
other  gifts  follow.  We  are  not  our  own,  neither  body 
nor  soul.  All  we  have  we  have  on  trust ;  and  to  show 
our  thankfulness  according  to  our  means,  pleases  God, 
whether  it  be  by  statedly  giving  out  of  our  abundance ; 
or>  like  old  Mary,  giving  out  of  our  poverty  a  "  PENJJ¥ 
rr  SHILLIN'." 


UUSB   LIBRARY 


STRANGE  TALES  FROM  HUMBLE  Iffi 

BY  JOHN   ASHWORTH. 


Fine  Edition,  Four  Series,  cloth,  limp.  The  First  and  Second, 
bound  in  one  volume,  cloth,  boards,  or  extra  cloth,  gilt 
edges,  with  steel  portrait  of  the  Author ;  alss  Third  and 
Fourth  in  one  volume,  gilt  edges. 

These  remarkable  Tales  are  still  kept  as  Tracts,  of  which 
nearly  Three  Millions  have  already  been  sold. 

FIRST  SERIES. 


1.  Mary;  a  Tale  of  Sorrow. 
t.  The  Dark  Hour.  [Men. 

8.  A  Wonder ;  or,   The  Two  Old 
4.  Sanderson  and  Little  Alice. 
6.  Wilkins.  [and  II. 

647.  The  Dark  Night.      Parts  I. 


8.  Joseph ;  or,  The  Silent  Corner. 

9.  My  Mother. 

10.  Niff  and  his  Dogs. 

11.  My  New  Friends. 

12.  My  New  Friends. 
IS.  My  New  Friends. 


Part  I. 
Part  II. 
Part  III. 


SECOND  SERIES. 


14.  Mothers.  [Prayer. 

15.  Twenty  Pounds;  or,  The  Little 

16.  All  is  Well, 

17.  My  Uncle;  or,  Johnny'a  Box. 

18.  Old  Adam. 

19.  Ellen  Williams. 


20.  Trials. 

21.  Answered  at  Last. 

22.  Priscilla.  [Step. 

23.  Julia ;  or,    The   First   Wrong 

24.  No  Cotton. 

25.  My  Young  Ragged  Friends. 


THIRD  SERIES. 


26.  The  Lost  Ourl. 

27.  Emmott. 

28.  The  Widow. 

29.  Sarah ;  or,  "  I  Will  have  Him ! ' 

30.  My  Sick  Friends.    Part  I. 
81.  My  Sick  Friends.    Part  II. 


32.  George. 

33.  James  Burrow*. 

34.  John  and  Mary. 

35.  A  Sad  Story. 

36.  Lucy's  Legacy. 

37.  Edmund. 


FOURTH  SERIES. 


38.  The  Golden  Wedding. 

39.  William  the  Tutor. 

40.  Fathers. 

41.  Little  Susan. 

42.  Old  Matthew. 

43.  Old  Abe. 


44.  Milly. 

45.  The  Fog  Bell. 

46.  Mrs.  Bowden. 

47.  Happy  Ned. 

48.  Harry. 

49.  A  Dancer. 


WALKS    IN    CANAAN. 

By  same  Author.    304  pages,  with  7  full-page  illustrations.    Cloth,  oe 
extra  cloth,  gilt  edges. 


„%"  Mr.  Ashworth's  Tales  and  Books  are  above  my  praise ;  they  are 
circulated  I  believe,  not  by  thousands,  but  by  millions,  and  the  result 
is,  that  the  name  of  John  Ashworth  is  a  Household  Word,  not  only  in 
the  lordly  halls,  but  in  the  lowly  homes  of  England." — Dr.  Guthrie. 


